February 2025
It's been a busy month at Cholmondeley with the first few centenary celebration events kicking off and our children getting involved in a range of summer activities.
Here's a look at what's been happening at the Centre over the past month and what we've got coming up in 2025 - our 100th year serving the Canterbury community.
We've had an incredible amount of volunteer time and effort put into our new garden space out the front of the property, to get it ready ahead of our Open Day. Thank you to everyone who has helped with this.
Our first centenary event was a great success, with more than 100 attendees joining us for a Kids' Movie Night on a summer's evening at the Centre.
Cholmondeley's Night on the Sea aboard the HMNZS Canterbury supported by the Royal New Zealand Navy, was a stunning event celebrating 100 years of the Centre.
As part of our anniversary, in each month's newsletter we will be sharing a story of a Cholmondeley alumni.
This month Tracie Wilson told us about her experience at Cholmondeley. Tracie stayed at the Centre in the 1970s and reconnected with Cholmondeley through her workplace, Runacres Insurance, at one of our events last year.
Looking ahead to some upcoming events, Meadowbank Homestead in Leeston is running tours through its homestead and garden in late March, with all proceeds kindly being donated to Cholmondeley. Tour tickets have already sold out and we are looking forward to supporting this event.
In early April, we will be holding our annual Street Appeal with volunteers stationed outside supermarkets around Christchurch shaking buckets in support of Cholmondeley. We are still finalising the details for this, but once these are confirmed we will be looking for individuals and businesses keen to volunteer. Please send us an email if you are interested in helping.
Finally, thank you to you our community for supporting what we do. Thank you for coming to our events, donating, or volunteering your time and expertise to help us provide respite care for our Canterbury children. Your support makes all the difference.
Kid’s Movie Night
Cholmondeley kicked off its centenary celebrations with a Kids' Movie Night on February 15th.
Our children and their families enjoyed a sausage sizzle, popcorn, and watching a movie on the big outdoor screen.
It was lovely to see so many Cholmondeley families and children connecting and bringing our community together.
Our Night on the Sea
Last week we held Our Night on the Sea kindly supported by the Royal New Zealand Navy.
It was a beautiful event celebrating 100 years of Cholmondeley and an impressive display by our Navy staff from Commanders to trainees.
The Navy's hospitality also extended to our Cholmondeley children as they kindly hosted a group aboard the HMNZS Canterbury for a tour over the weekend.
Thank you to our 150 guests for coming and to all of the generous businesses, individuals, and volunteers who supported our event donating prizes or their time to help.
Thank you especially to the Royal New Zealand Navy for all their support, Brandhouse for the wonderful selection of beverages and Metropol Magazine for the beautiful photos.
Garden upgrades
Preparations are in full swing to get the Centre ready for its Open Day on March 15th.
We have had a small army of volunteers help us to completely makeover the garden. From planning and preparing the site, to getting spades in the ground and making it happen, the garden has evolved into a beautiful space for tamariki to enjoy.
Thank you to Ambrosia Nurseries, Odyssey House, Sharon Ballantyne, Kerry Turner, Rob Watson, Inspire Me Women, local gardening groups and Steve and Anna from Cholmondeley for dedicating their time to bring this space to life.
Ambrosia Nurseries also kindly donated a number of plants to improve the area - thank you!
Tracie’s story
Tracie Wilson and her five siblings grew up in a single-parent home where their father did the best he could.
"My mum left my dad with six children, the youngest was nine months old and the oldest was seven years old," Tracie said.
She described her father as a "proud man" who would never ask for help, but knew life must have been hard for him.
"My dad had decisions to make. It was either foster us all out or get some respite for himself. He chose that [respite at Cholmondeley] because he wanted to keep us all together."
If Tracie and her siblings had not stayed at Cholmondeley, her childhood could have turned out very differently, "we would have been fostered out and maybe lost in the system," she said.
In the 1970s, Tracie and her siblings stayed at Cholmondeley for a few weeks at a time. She loved the school, the playground, the free play time, and remembered it as a "really peaceful, lovely time," in her childhood.
One of her most vivid memories involved playing in 'the trench', a big crack in the ground at Cholmondeley they were told was from an earthquake.
She said she gets warm and fuzzy feelings whenever she thinks of Cholmondeley, "we would get hugs and hot meals and warm beds which we didn’t have at home."
Tracie believes the Centre saved her family and she is proud to be a Cholmondeley child.
Cholmondeley’s Centenary Events
Our 100th birthday is just around the corner on March 7th and we have three more special events planned to celebrate this significant milestone.
Cholmondeley Centenary Golf Tournament presented by ILAM Toyota - March 6th 2025 - SOLD OUT
A fantastic afternoon of golf with teams playing ambrose at Russley Golf Club. Competitors will also get to take a shot a hole-in-one for the chance to win a a brand new RAV4 Adventure 2.5P Hybrid E-CVT AWD thanks to ILAM Toyota and Gallagher Insurance.
Dress up for Cholmondeley - March 7th 2025
Whether you’re at work, school, or with friends, show your support by dressing up - anything goes from the 1920s to the 2020s — or as superheroes. Express yourself and post your pics with #100YearsOfCholmondeley for a chance to win prizes. For more information email us.
Open Day - March 15th 2025 - 10am - 4pm
Explore Cholmondeley like never before! Our Open Day, will offer guided tours, live music, and market stalls, all in support of the Centre. Bring your family and friends for a glimpse into our history and future! Free Entry.
At 10.30am New Zealand's Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro will visit the Centre to meet the children of Cholmondeley and our Governor’s Bay community.
Then the famous 'What Now' gunge machine will be in action on site, and Christchurch City Council mayoral candidates are getting gunged!
Meadowbank Homestead and Garden Tours - March 30th - SOLD OUT
Tickets have already sold out for Meadowbank Homestead's home and garden tours. All proceeds from this event are kindly being donated to Cholmondeley.